The purpose of this study is to provide opportunities for medical student training through mentored biomedical research projects in hematology at the University of Pittsburgh. Given the exciting molecular discoveries in hematology and the Institute of Medicine identified shortage of physician scientists with sufficient multi-disciplinary training to carry out important translational research, the ultimate goal of this project is to interest students in careers in academic hematology. A total of 20 academic core faculty members from the broad disciplines of hematology, oncology, molecular biology, molecular genetics and biochemistry, pharmacology, coagulation, thrombosis, transfusion medicine, surgical and radiation oncology, and epidemiology at the University of Pittsburgh are available to provide a broad array of basic and clinical research topics, study populations, and biomedical techniques for this project, the specific objectives of which are: (1) An 8-10 week mentored biomedical research project, either bench or clinical, in which established academic hematologists work closely with medical students early in their training to introduce them to the relevance and excitement of biomedical research. (2) A didactic training program in research fundamentals, including tools for critical literature review, analytic thinking, and an understanding of basic hematologic principles, to provide a framework for designinig and conducting sound, relevant biomedical research projects in hematology. (3) Guided and mentored training of students in research concepts and collaborative research, including concept development, study design, data collection and analysis, manuscript preparation, and abstract presentation, to provide tools for performing biomedical research and learning about careers in academic hematology